Justin's Karate Catastrophe

Starring Justin

Justin, the king of backyard competitions, discovers karate and becomes so enthusiastic about his new chop-and-kick skills that he starts testing them on everything and everyone around him. His friends and neighbors quickly get fed up, and when a real karate match leaves Justin on the ground after one swift move, he realizes his biggest opponent was his own overconfidence. The story ends with Justin channeling his competitive spirit into something everyone actually wants to join.

Justin loved making up games more than anything. He once turned a puddle and three socks into a championship splashing contest. But on Monday, he saw a karate class in the park and stopped dead in his tracks. "That," he said, pushing his sunglasses up slowly, "is the greatest competition I have ever seen."

Sensei Cho let Justin join for one lesson. She showed him the basic chop, one slow move at a time. Justin copied it fast. Very fast. "Patience first, power second," Sensei Cho said quietly. Justin nodded, but he was already practicing the chop on a nearby bush.

By Tuesday, Justin was sure he had mastered karate. He chopped a stack of library books. He kicked the mailbox. He tried a spinning kick on Marcus's bicycle and sent it rolling straight into the rose bushes. Marcus crossed his arms. "That was my bike," he said flatly.

Justin tried to chop the garden fence and his hand throbbed for an hour. He tried to kick a rock and stubbed his toe so hard tears came to his eyes. He sat on the porch steps and pulled off his sneaker. The rock had not moved even a little.

Marcus came over and sat one step below him. "You know what your problem is?" Marcus said. "You think karate means beating stuff." Justin opened his mouth. Then he closed it. He was pretty sure Marcus was wrong. He was completely sure of it, actually.

On Saturday, Sensei Cho held a small match in the park. Justin strode in with his sunglasses on his head and his best chop ready. Sensei Cho bowed and waited. Justin lunged. One second later he was sitting on the cool grass, looking at the sky, wondering what had happened.

Sensei Cho crouched down beside him. "You moved before you listened," she said. "Karate is about knowing when not to move." Justin stared at the clouds for a moment. His toe still hurt. His hand still throbbed. Marcus had been right, and that stung worse than any of it.

The next day, Justin invented a new game. Everyone in the park had to freeze perfectly still when he called out a karate pose. The last one to wobble won a sock from his collection. Marcus wobbled first. He did not look thrilled about it. Justin slid his sunglasses down and grinned.